It’s not enough for writers to just write. Besides a social media profile, talking and speaking are critical assets in a writer or author’s tool kit. Knowing how to talk to agents and editors, other writers, bookstore audiences, panels, and Zoom audiences means we must keep honing our verbal skills. Even podcasts, ostensibly produced for listening, are recorded to be viewed.
One area that can trip up even the most well-read writer is pronunciation. I learned to read very early, perhaps because my mother, a non-native English speaker, was an avid reader. When we were very young, if my sister and I would say, “Mommy, we’re bored,” she’d reply, “Boredom is a sickness. Find something to do. Read a book.” And we did.
But learning words only from the printed page can be tricky. I recall, as a child, walking downtown with my mother back in Ohio and carefully sounding out all the signs on streets and businesses. On a car dealership, a large, vertical sign caught my attention. I spelled it aloud: P-L-Y-M-O-U-T-H, then proudly recited the long word: Ply. Mouth.
I salute anyone who learns English as a second, third, or fourth language. While taking education classes at Cal State Northridge toward my teaching credential, I taught part-time at a private Armenian high school in the San Fernando Valley. The students came from many countries: then-Soviet Armenia, Lebanon, Syria, Rumania, Bulgaria, and even Argentina. I taught ESL―which I dubbed EFL, as these sixth and seventh graders were learning English as a third, fourth, and possibly fifth language! If they came from the Middle East, chances are they knew Armenian, French, and two dialects of Arabic, and were learning English as a fifth language. If they were from Rumania, they knew Rumanian, Armenian, and French, and were learning English as a fourth language. Impressive!
The language we hear is influenced by media, social media, advertising, music (e.g., rap), among other things, in a relentless barrage for our eyes, ears, and attention. And as we know, English is an ever-changing language. You’re probably aware that “irregardless” has been included in dictionaries for decades―not because it’s correct, but because it is used so frequently.
Here is a selection of oft mispronounced words. Practice saying them out loud. You might find a few surprises here.
Accompanist: ac-com-pan-ist (4 syllables). Not ac-com-pan-ee-ist (5 syllables).
Arctic: Ark-tic. Not Ar-tic.
Armoire: arm-wahr. Not arm-wah. Yes, you do pronounce the final “r” in French. Not as firmly as in English, but it is pronounced. Also memoir(s): mem-wahr(s). Not mem-wah(s).
Athlete: ath-lete. Not ath-a-lete.
Bicyclist: bi-si-clist. Not by-si-cul-ist. Same with motorcyclist: –sy-klist, not –sy-kul-ist. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cyclist
Climactic: referring to a climax, whether dramatic or sexual (or sometimes the same thing). Cly-mak-tick.
Climatic: referring to climate. Cly-mat-ik.
Espresso: E-spre-so. Not ex-pres-so.
February: Feb-roo-ary. The biggest surprise of my grammatical life was discovering that Feb-yoo-ary is in the dictionary. It will always sound incorrect to me.
Foreign words: If you have not studied a particular language, chances are you will mispronounce words. Sometimes it is best to just stick to English.
Intravenous: in-tra-veen-us. Not in-tra-veen-ee-us.
Larynx: lar-inks. Not lar-niks.
Mozart: Mot-sart. Not Mo-zart.
Nuclear: nu-klee-er. Not nu-kyu-ler.
Officer: it has three syllables. Law enforcement professionals at media press conferences often say “aw-surs.”
Paraplegic: pa-ra-plee-gic. Not pa-ra-puh-lee-gic. Same with quad-ri-plee-gic. Not quad-ri-puh-lee-gic.
Peripheral: per-i-fer-ul. Not per-if-ee-ul.
Primer: a book providing a basic intro. Prim-er. Not prime-er.
Primer: a base coat, whether painting your walls or preparing your face before applying foundation. Prime-er. Not prim-er.
Realtor: reel-tor. Not reel-a-ter.
Reprise: re-preez. A repeated passage in music.
Reprisal: an act of retaliation. Re-prize-‘l.
Resources: Ree-sor-suhz. Not ree-zor-suhz.
Restaurateur: Note that there is no “n” in this word meaning the proprietor of a restaurant. It’s res-tur-ah-tur. Not res-taur-an-teur.
Sherbet: sure-bet. Not sher-bert.
Superfluous: su-per-flu-us. Not su-per-ful-us.
Wagner, as in Richard Wagner, the German composer. Ri-kard Vahg-ner. Not the American Richard Wagner. Rich-erd Wag-ner.
Veterinarian: vet-er-in-ar-i-un. It has six syllables. Broadcasters often say “vet-nar-i-an.”
The good news is that a single click will yield online examples of definitions and pronunciation tutorials. So, with a little careful attention, you’ll be pronouncing like the pro you are!
Flo Selfman is an in-demand copy editor, proofreader, and PR consultant. She served as president of the Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC.org, now part of WPN) for a dozen years and won The BookFest’s Honorary Achievement Award, Spring 2023. Away from the computer, she loves exploring SoCal, camera in hand. Find her at WordsalaMode.com/.
